Painful Memories
by CastMeAway
Summary: Haruhi Fujioka has a secret; a younger brother who fell into a coma from a childhood accident. Now, after years of keeping the subject taboo, the host club finds out. Will they be able to help Haruhi move on from the past?
1. Chapter 1

_So I decided that what I originally published wasn't enough for a first chapter so this is a repost of the same chapter but with a little more added to it. Not much is different, Just a few more sentences in the beginning. Please enjoy and review (:_

**Disclaimer: Obvious right? If I owned any anime I wouldn't need to be on this site. I don't own Ouran High school Host Club!**

**Claimer: The plot and any OC's are mine!**

Painful Memories

Chapter 1

It was any normal week at Ouran. The host club was performing its usual tasks of caring for its guests every day after school in the renown music room #3. However, as days went on and the school festival was now far from the student's minds, the once happy host club began to gain a tenser air. The boys concern slowly grew as they watched their only female host grow darker and quieter each day. The Hitachiin twins, normally pulling pranks on their fellow club members every chance they got, as well as Tamaki, would ask her multiple times each day if they did something wrong; Tamaki in normally a hysterical manner. Each time she would smile at them and simply shake her head, saying she was fine. However, slowly they all began to realize (even the normally dense host club king) that her eyes never seemed to hold the sincerity.

It was the middle of the week and their customers were slowly leaving as the day began to wind to an end. Haruhi found herself sitting at her usual table, however, instead of watching the antics of her fellow hosts like she did every other day; she was looking at her cell phone, thoughts swirling through her mind. She was jolted out of her thoughts when a hand gently touched her arm. She turned to see Hunny concerned face looking up at her and slowly noticed that everyone else was around her with varying similar expressions.

"Haru-chan, are you alright?" his petite voice asked, making her forget for a moment that the young looking boy was actually one of the oldest members. She opened her mouth to respond when another voice interrupted her first.

"Yes, you had your phone out throughout the entire club, it was putting off our customers," Kyouya Ootori said from his seat across from her while typing into his computer. After a second of typing he looked up to eye her and she quickly looked away. She opened her mouth to speak, to try to argue, when a loud ringing made her jump. She looked at the phone in shock and quickly snatched it from the table. Standing up she noticed everyone staring at her, waiting for an answer to her unusual behavior.

"Sorry guys. Excuse me for a second," she said before running to the back and entering the changing room.

The guys stood motionless for a few moments, all just looking at each other in shock before the twins began to move towards the back. "What do you two think you're doing," Tamaki asked incredulously and with a dramatic loudness. They both turned back to him simultaneously, giving him the same look of annoyance that their leader didn't seem to understand.

"We are going to listen at the door," Kaoru said.

"How else are we gonna find out what's wrong," Hikaru added as they both shrugged and continued to the back. Tamaki was about to start yelling when Hunny, Mori, and Kyouya pushed passed him to follow the twins. The king gaped at his hosts before sullenly following behind, also wanting to know what was wrong with his precious 'daughter.' The twins already had their ears up against the door although it wasn't necessary because they could all hear her quiet voice from within.

"Thank you for calling me... Yes, no I understand what it would mean, but how is he?" The eavesdropping boys gave each other varying looks of confusion while the shadow king pondered silently to himself behind the others, his gaze stuck on the door in front of them.

"What? What do you mean he regressed? I thought he was doing better?" Her voice grew in loudness before growing quiet again, a touch of fear in her tone.

"No, he can't! Why did he make that decision on his own? I... I, yes I understand, thank you for telling me. Goodbye," she said and they heard the phone shut with a loud snap. The boys immediately moved away from the door and back to their tables, waiting for Haruhi to come back into the room. However, they began to worry as time went on. Tamaki slowly began to pace, unbeknownst to him he slowly began to move closer to the back each time he completed a pace. He was halfway between the others and the door when it opened and Haruhi exited. Tamaki froze and was about to exclaim and ask if she was okay when the twins ran past him, making him stumble and almost fall on his face.

"Haruhi, what was that all about?" Hikaru asked, almost angrily because her tone of voice had scared him and being angry was the easiest way for him to act. Kaoru touched his brother's shoulder with his hand, hoping to calm him down before turning to look at the boy dressed girl before him, only to notice her darkened eyes.

"What's wrong," he asked as everyone else moved up around them. Haruhi quickly shook her head.

"It's nothing, just had to take a call." She knew the suspicious looks meant they didn't believe her and so she attempted to smile, to disarm them. However, she realized she didn't have the energy to force a smile and instead dropped her head to avoid looking at them as she walked past.

"Why do you look like your about to cry then?" Hunny's hesitant voice asked and everything halted. The other hosts looked at him in shock at his tactlessness before turning to look at Haruhi who stood stock still. They couldn't see her eyes because she was looking down but instead they saw something more shocking. The light from the window hit her face and a glimmer appeared that slowly slide down her cheek before it fell and splashed on the ground.

"Haruhi what's wrong?" Tamaki asked in his dramatic fashion. He stepped forward and grabbed her, spinning her around so he could crush her in a bear hug like he normally would but instead stepped back in shock. Her face was streaming with tears.

"Haruhi, what..." Tamaki trailed off, the normally suave host unsure of what to say to the unusually emotional Haruhi.

"I'm sorry," she said softly before turning and running for the door.


	2. Chapter 2

_Second chapter is up! Took a bit longer then I thought because I was trying to get the story outlined so it would be easier to write later on. Please enjoy and review! _

**Disclaimer: I don't own Ouran High school Host Club in any shape or form. **

**Claimer: The plot and any OC's are mine!**

Chapter 2

The others stood around as the door shut behind her, unsure of what to do. After a few moments the twins looked at each other, nodded, and immediately began to follow when Kyouya's voice stopped them.

"Don't go after her," he said simply which prompted the two red heads to spin on their heels and give him a disbelieving look.

"Kyouya-Sempai! Hikaru exclaimed as Kaoru stopped short and slowly walked over to the large window that looked out over the courtyard. "We can't just leave her like that," the angry twin continued until he noticed his brother at the window with Hunny and Mori. The others slowly walked over, knowing they were waiting for Haruhi to leave the building, and sure enough she came out a few moments later. She ran straight for the entrance when she seemed to stop abruptly. Everyone looked on in confusion when they saw her turn and look to the side, the tears still visible on her face even from the distance. It was then that they noticed someone walking up from the right, a guy dressed in what they called commoners clothing. He was about the same height as Tamaki with short brown hair and was walking towards Haruhi with a smile on his face. Then it fell when he saw her expression. They saw the surprise on her face but what she did next shocked them to the point that even the clubs own shadow king expressed it with wide eyes before he used the glare from his glasses to cover it up.

They saw her clench her hands at her side before running for the guy, throwing herself into his chest and gripping his front shirt as her back shook slightly. The guy stumbled backwards before catching himself and instinctively bringing his hands up around her in his shock.

""""""""""""""""""""

Haruhi was running out of the school, trying to contain her tears. As she ran through the building nothing seemed to connect with her and she began to lose track of where she was within the many halls. She nearly ran into doors and walls as she went along as the only thing she really saw was the young face of a boy, whose hair looked like hers now, except while she looked like her mother, the boy in her mind had a resemblance to her father. She tried to recall what happened after she had gotten off the phone with the doctor and why she had taken so long to leave the back room. She had been staring at the phone when she had pushed speed dial without thinking and had put the phone to her ear. It was only after she heard the cheerful voice on the other end that she realized who she had called.

"Haruhi! It's been awhile since you've called me, what's up?" She opened her mouth to talk but couldn't force the words out and then she realized she didn't even know what she wanted to say. "Haruhi?" he said after a moment of silence, the cheerfulness dropping slowly from his tone. "What's the matter?" he asked without pause and she felt the tears finally fall from her eyes. "Are you at Ouran still?" he asked and she remembered breathing out a small yes. "Okay, I'm back in town for the week because of vacation so I'll be outside in a few minutes." he said and they had cut off. It was then that she had tried to collect herself before she had opened the door to face the host club.

After a few moments of blind running, she noticed the change in temperature. She unconsciously began to slow down slightly as she entered the courtyard where the pond was that her bag had been thrown into on her first day of hosting. She realized that her breathe was labored so she slowed down to a jog as she rounded the pond until, finally, a voice made her come to a halt. The voice she had wanted to hear since he had graduated and gone to college, her old friend Kenji Yamada. She hadn't realized how much she had missed him until he was standing just inside the entrance and slowly coming towards her, a smile on his face. She felt the tears begin to override her shock at the familiar face and as soon as she saw his smile fade into a look of concern she lost the mask that she had been attempting to put back into place. She started to run again until she hit a hard, warm surface and strong arms came around her back.

"Haruhi! What...?" he stopped as her tears finally turned into uncontrollable sobs.

"It's... Tai," she managed to get out and after a moment she looked up to meet his wide eyes at the mention of her only brother.

Haruhi felt his arms tighten around her, "what happened?"

"They are taking him off oxygen," she said through her tears, "he's dying." she said and saw his eyes soften before he leaned down and she felt his lips touch her forehead like he normally did when she was upset. She leaned into him and slowly her tears began to slow down, his hug comforting her and bringing her into the past when she, Kenji, and Tai would hang out. After her brother had gone into the hospital because of the accident, Kenji had been her surrogate brother. He had been her comfort because her father had not been much support, getting drunk every night at his bar. She began to realize why she held the hosts in such high regard and stuck with them despite their crazy antics; they provided her the same thing when she wasn't able to count on Kenji. She felt a hand come to her cheeks to wipe her tears away and with a smile she pulled away from him at the same time that his arms dropped from her back. She sighed at how familiar it was and looked up to the host's window.

"What are you going to do?" he asked simply and she appreciated the sudden straightforwardness, knowing she wouldn't have talked if he hadn't have just come out with the question.

"I don't know. They said they aren't going to pull the plug until the middle of vacation."

"Well how about this then," he said and she looked up to see him looking up at the sky. "I'm going to America during the vacation to prepare for studying abroad, why don't you come with me?" she gaped at him, unsure how to respond and his light smile proved to her that he was being serious.

"You want to see him right?"

"Of course I do, but I could never afford a ticket to America," she said simply, eyeing him as he turned to look at the rich school behind them.

"Why don't you ask one of your rich friends," he said, winking at her only to receive a sharp slap on his right arm, which he started to rub at. It had been a simple reflex, something she always did when he said something annoying; however, she hadn't meant to hit him so hard.

"I couldn't ask them that, it would be too much trouble, besides," she said, eyes narrowing as she crossed her arms over her chest. "It would just increase my debt," she muttered and Kenji raised an eyebrow in confusion but decided not to question it. 'Damn rich people,' she thought crossly.

"Then I'll pay for your ticket," he said seriously, his mood suddenly shifting again which brought her back to the present and away from her other friends.

"What? Why would you do that?" she asked, crossing her arms over her chest.

"I'm not just doing it for you," he said simply and she cocked her head to the side in confusion before he continued. "I want to see him too," his voice dropped to almost a whisper and for a moment she wasn't sure if he had even spoken. However, his sad expression made her sure that he had and she felt a pang of sympathy. He had, after all, been just as close to her brother as she had once been. She nodded once and without saying another word they began walking out of the courtyard.

""""""""""""""""""""

The guys, meanwhile, were attempting (failing) to calm down a raging Tamaki who had started on a parental rampage soon as he saw the enemy kissing his "daughters" forehead.

"How dare he kiss my daughter like that!" he screamed as he paced back and forth. Hunny and Mori had finally resituated themselves at their table and were watching their king's antics. The twins, deciding nothing would calm him down, stepped back from Tamaki and rejoined Kyouya who was typing away at his computer again, as if nothing had happened. However, a quiet sigh made it known that he was still paying attention and his gaze shifted from the screen to the angry host. Tamaki, seeming to sense his gaze, stopped his pacing and quickly turned on Kyouya. "Mommy, we need to find them! Who knows what he may be doing to her in her vulnerable state!" he immediately began to move towards the door when Kyouya rolled his eyes.

"Sit down you imbecile," he coolly snapped, causing Tamaki's head to snap in his direction with a hurt look, tears starting to appear behind his blue-violet orbs. Kyouya ignored him and continued typing. "If you're so worried about her," he started only to be cut off by Hikaru.

"Are you saying you're not worried?" he asked, hands on his hips as he eyed the shadow king of the host club. Another sigh went through the room as Kyouya closed his computer and looked up, pushing his glasses up the bridge of his nose with his pointer and middle finger.

"If you're all so worried we can stop by her house later," he said again, continuing as if Hikaru had never spoken. "But don't you think you should give her some time to herself?" he asked, eyeing the king who fell down into a nearby chair with a graceless flop.

"I just don't understand," he said suddenly, everyone eyeing him as his serious tone caught their attention.

"Why's that Tama-chan?" Hunny asked, holding Suza-chan tightly to his chest, as he and Mori walked over to the others.

"She knows she can count on us for help, so why did she need to run..." he asked no one in particular, trailing off to let the silence linger.


	3. Chapter 3

_A/N/: Sorry for taking so long to update! I had such a hard time with this chapter... for some reason. I really don't know why. But it's finally done! So Enjoy!_

**Disclaimer: Simply put, I don't own Ouran Highschool Host Club. No, that honor belongs to Bisco Hatori.**

**Claimer: The plot and any OC's are mine! **

Chapter 3

Haruhi and Kenji had walked in comfortable silence to her apartment where they had parted ways, Kenji saying he needed to go take care of the details. She nodded with a fake smile on her face, not wanting him to leave but knowing he had to. She watched him walk away and slowly opened the front door, somewhat glad her father had work. She had never been outwardly angry with her father until that moment as she looked around the empty house, _how could he make that decision,_ she asked herself as she walked involuntarily to her room. She stood in the doorway and with a sigh began to pack. As she did, her mind wandered to the 6 most gorgeous men she had ever met; course she would never tell THEM that. A sad smile came to her face as she thought about what happened not even an hour ago. She felt bad that she had run out on them, especially as Tamaki's sad face appeared in her mind. She shook her head, wanting to rid herself of the image because she knew if she thought of them, she wouldn't have the guts to leave and go to America. It was at that second that she cursed under her breath.

_Going to America for all of vacation. There is no way they would allow it without an explanation,_ She thought with a definitive sigh, she closed her suitcase, only to stop when she heard a car pull up outside. She already had a feeling she knew who it was, yet still she walked over to the window to peer out as the door to the large black limo opened, allowing her 6 closest friends to step out one by one, still all dressed in their Ouran uniforms. She was about to put the blinds back into place when she saw Tamaki get out of the limo last and the look on his face made her pause. The serious look, so uncharacteristically on the drama queen, made her breathe catch in her throat as a sob threatened to tear out again. However, she steeled herself, saying she would not cry in front of them, not again. With that she replaced the blinds and waited for the inevitable knock.

Sure enough it only took a moment for them to reach the door. A clear knock sounded and slowly she walked towards it before hesitating to grab the knob.

"Haruhi, are you in there? It's us..." Tamaki's hesitant voice called and finally she pulled the door open to be greeted by 6 very concerned faces. Well 4 very concerned, one very calculating Kyouya, and she knew Mori was upset simply by the look she saw in his eyes and the fact that his hand was resting on the trembling Hunny's blonde head.

"I'm sorry about earlier," she said quietly, not expecting her voice to be strong as she silently stepped back, knowing they would want to come in. They stepped through the door, each eyeing her as they passed to the living room. She was about to follow them when she was quickly engulfed in a hug as the twins came up to her on either side.

"What happened?" they whispered into her ears. She picked up her head to look at them but her excuse fell on her closed lips. Their serious expressions were so much like the host club king's, who was eyeing her carefully from the Kotatsu. Haruhi immediately pulled away from the twins, staggering slightly before catching herself on the counter and turning to the rest of the hosts.

"Does this have anything to do with Taiki?" Kyouya asked simply, not wanting Haruhi to dodge the issue. She felt his eyes boring into hers from her spot in the kitchen but couldn't seem to look away as the others turned to look at Kyouya in confusion.

"What are you talking about Kyouya?" Tamaki demanded, knowing his friend knew something and was holding back like he always did.

"Haru-chan!" Hunny exclaimed, bringing the rest of the hosts to look away from the bespectacled teen and to the girl who was their primary concern. However, her expression made them gap as her face was considerably paler and growing more so each moment. Tamaki immediately stood up and rushed to her, grabbing her shoulders in fear that she would fall. She couldn't speak at that moment but she felt great thanks to the man who was slowly helping her walk over to the table. If he hadn't of rushed over when he had, her knees would have given out. She felt herself be seated on the floor and saw the twins walk over to sit on her opposite side.

"Haru-chan," Hunny's scared voice called from her right. She slowly turned her now aching head in his direction. He was sitting next to Tamaki with Mori on his other side and Kyouya was directly across from her, his eyes never wavering from her pale face. When she was finally looking at Hunny his small body straightened up, the ears of Suza-chan just poking out from behind the Kotatsu. "What's wrong Haru-chan? Who is Kyo-chan talking about?"

She opened her mouth to speak but couldn't find the words. Looking around her eyes landed on Kyouya and she saw shock appear in his eyes. She was giving him a pleading look and if she wasn't feeling so sick, she would have pinched herself for giving Kyouya, of all people, such a pathetic look. With a sigh he nodded once before talking, "Tai is her younger brother," he said, folding his arms as he did so. The room was filled with silence.

"You have a brother?" Hunny asked, exciement evident in his voice at the idea.

She nodded emotionlessly, her eyes still on Kyouya so she wouldn't have to look anywhere else. "I HAD a brother." Kyouya's own eyes seemed to narrow for a moment before widening as she saw that he understood.

"I see. I'm sorry to hear that Haruhi." Everyone else looked up at him in shock after hearing the shadow king apologize with such sincerity in his voice. Then they all noticed the sad look in his eyes which he covered up a second later. Haruhi was still staring at him in shock when she was pulled to the right and into a strong hug. She winced at the tight embrace and began to pull away. Tamaki slowly released his grip and she turned away from him to avoid the hurt look on his face. Taking a deep breathe she tried to calm her nerves when she felt a hand rest on her left shoulder. She turned her head to see Kaoru's sympathetic gaze.

"Why don't you tell us about him" he said with a small smile, wanting to help her disarm the shield she was trying to build. She stared at him for a moment until she felt a small smile forming on her own lips, grateful for his support. She nodded and felt his hand squeeze her shoulder before being removed. She turned back to the table, unsure how to start when Kyouya decided to take the lead.

"Tai, your younger brother was hospitalized after an accident 4 years ago." Haruhi looked up at him, any surprise she may have felt vanished the second she met his gaze as she remember who she was looking at. She sighed only to realize a second later that she had been sighing a lot ever since she had met the host club. She nodded, her eyes moving from the hosts to the table just as Hikaru stood up with a start which she knew he had done because the table shook when he hit it.

"Kyouya-sempai! Why the hell didn't you say anything?" His voice rang through the tense room.

"Because I didn't see a need to mention it if it was never brought up, plus..." he said. She could feel his gaze then on her face but she refused to look up from the table. "It wasn't my place to say anything." Haruhi felt another small smile tugging at her lips as she finally looked up, disbelieving what she was hearing from the evil king. Granted the voice in the back of her mind was reminding her that he probably didn't say anything because it wouldn't have given him any merit. However, she saw the way he was looking at her and knew that his selfishness had nothing to do with it this time.

"Thank you, Kyouya-sempai" she said quietly, earning a small smile from him as Kaoru tugged on his twin's shirt sleeve to get him to sit back down. The older twin crossed his arms in a 'not happy position,' however, he stopped grumbling and turned his head to face the girl he had come to care for. The club sat on baited breath as Haruhi collected herself; slowly she looked up from the table to gaze outside at the darkening sky.

"Tai's 2 years younger than me and when we were little, we were out playing when a car had come screeching around the corner," Haruhi closed her eyes as the images from that day finally returned to her after years of keeping them locked away. She felt two strong grips on her hands and opened her eyes to see Tamaki and Kaoru holding them, she felt them squeeze her hands in reassurance and she pushed the images from her mind.

"He was hit," she continued, amazed at how steady her voice sounded since it was the first time the story had ever left her lips. "He ended up in a coma and has been in America getting treatment for the last few years."

"And you've kept that all to yourself?" Hikaru's sad eyes spoke more volumes then his words. Haruhi down casted her own brown orbs, her hands were still warm from the two men who held them. She had an instant of wanting to pull away, to be away from the warmth that she didn't deserve but then their grips on her tightened, as if they had read her thoughts.

"Father and I both feel terrible for throwing him out of our lives..."

"Is that why there are no pictures of him here?" Hunny interrupted her as his eyes looked around the room.

"I didn't want to remember..." she said softly.

"Well that's understandable. No one would want to remember such an experience," Kyouya said, Mori agreeing with his normal "ah."

"However," Kyouya continued, "that does not explain your behavior from earlier."

"Who was it that called you?" Kaoru squeezed her hand until she finally turned her head to meet his eyes.

"The doctor. My father apparently talked with him and he is having them take Tai off life support," she said, trying to contain the bitterness she felt so it wouldn't come out into her voice.

Tamaki began to talk only for a look from Kyouya to silence him, "so they have decided to end his life," Kyouya's calculating tone answered as everyone but the girl looked at him in shock, their own understanding finally coming to light.

"Why would Ranka-san make a decision like that?" Tamaki's hardened voice asked. She turned to look at him for a moment to see the unhappy look that uncharacteristically graced his features.

She was angry at her father herself but she wasn't sure what to say to her sempai as an answer without letting the emotion show so instead she simply shrugged her tense shoulders. She stood up, both Tamaki and Kaoru releasing her hands after a second of hesitation and she quickly went to her bedroom door. She knew the others were watching her carefully as she left the living room. She walked to the small table in her room and pulled out a small purple rectangular box which she promptly opened. She turned it upside down and hit the back once before waiting a second for the object inside to slide out into her waiting hand. It was a thin rectangular object, wrapped up in some white cloth. After placing the box down, she quickly walked back into the living room as she slowly undid the cloth. She pulled off the wrapping as she sat down and placed the simple silver picture frame on the table for those sitting beside her to see.

A hand then reached out and snatched it from the table. She looked over to see Kaoru and Hikaru both looking at the picture together and nodding in synch before passing it on to Kyouya. "He definitely looks like Ranka-san," Kaoru said quietly.

"Well without the makeup," Hikaru added as Kyouya gave the frame to Hunny. After a moment Tamaki was the last person to look at the picture and he held it lightly in his hands. Haruhi could clearly see the picture from where she sat. It was one of the last memories she had of her, Kenji and Tai since the accident happened only a few weeks after the image was taken. Her brother, Kenji, and she had been outside playing in the park when her father had taken the picture. It was of Tai sitting on Kenji's shoulders as he attempted to give the younger boy a piggy back ride around the park.

**(A/N: Kenji was 15, Tai was 10, and Haruhi was 12 since the accident happened 4 years ago. She is now 16.) **

Kenji's brown hair was slightly longer and he was wearing a pair of blue jeans and a simple black t-shirt. Haruhi was sitting on a park bench near where Kenji and Tai were standing and she was laughing. Ever since the accident she always hated the picture because of the happiness that she saw on her face.

She was wearing a light pink sundress and matching flats that she remembered her dad had made her wear that day. Her hair was long and done in a simple braid. Her eyes then trailed to her brother, his face shinning as he laughed. She realized how right the twin's earlier statement had been; he did look like a much younger version of her father. His brown hair, again, was short like hers was now but lighter in color. The scene that occurred after the picture was taken replayed in her head. Her father had just taken the picture when Kenji had started to walk backwards. He had somehow managed to trip, something that Haruhi always teased him about since she couldn't recall anything actually having been there. The next thing they all knew, a huge splash was heard as Kenji and Tai landed in the park's pond that had been right behind them. A smile came to her lips as she remembered how her father had started to freak out, thinking the water had been deep and had nearly dived in after them. She had pushed him back just as Kenji and Tai had stood up laughing in the ankle deep water. She was brought out of her reminiscing when she heard Tamaki calling her name. She looked up at him to see he was staring intently at her, concern filling his eyes.

"We've been calling your name for a few minutes," Kaoru said quietly from her left only to feel Tamaki lightly place his hand on her shoulder; the picture clearly forgotten on the table.

"Are you okay?"

"Yes, I was just remembering the day that picture was taken," a light smile grew on her face as the images replayed themselves again and she saw the expressions of shock appear on Kenji and Tai's faces as they fell.

"Haru-chan, I don't think I've ever see you that happy before," Hunny said, a deep sadness to his voice that she never thought she would hear from the childlike senior.

"Yeah," Mori added, agreeing with his cousin. Haruhi felt herself shrug, not sure how to respond.

"The other boy in that picture," Kyouya began and everyone turned to look at him as he crossed his arms. "Is that the same person that met up with you today?" Haruhi felt a slight blush form on her cheeks. Not because she was embarrassed that he made the connection, but because it meant they must have been watching from the window. She immediately berated herself for not considering the possibility that her nosy friends would watch.

"Um, yeah." She started awkwardly as everyone returned their steady gazes. "His name is Kenji. He was one of our best friends." She stopped, hoping to leave it at that.

"Why did you call him?" Tamaki asked somewhat angrily, _and not us,_ his mind repeated this single thought as he continued to look at her, waiting for an answer. She heard the anger in his voice and she turned her head towards him with a snap, her own anger over powering the sadness she had felt earlier. She felt something normal returning to her; her control now that she was presented with an emotion she knew well.

"Because Sempai," her teeth clenched as his angry stare only increased her own rage. "Kenji and Tai were best friends too. He was the only one who would have understood." Tamaki opened his mouth to continue arguing when Kyouya decided it was time to speak up.

"I think that's enough for now, You're probably tired Haruhi. We will let ourselves out," He stood up and slowly the others did the same, knowing they shouldn't argue with the shadow king. The glint of rage was still in Tamaki's eyes, however, and he looked like he was about to fight his best friend when a look from Kyouya completely silenced him.

"I'll see you all at school tomorrow then," Haruhi said as her anger began to die, leaving only a hallow tiredness that she hadn't felt since her mother had died when she was five.

"Are you sure Haru-chan? Perhaps you should stay home…"

"I appreciate the concern Hunny-Sempai," she smiled, knowing it was more like her fake host smile then a real one. "But I can't sit around and do nothing."


	4. Chapter 4

**A/N: Hey readers! So this chapter is long over due I know! My only excuse would be that exams, as well as being sick, do not help the writing process. However, here is the next chapter as promised! Enjoy and review!**

**Disclaimer: Yeah, I do not own Ouran Highschool Host Club **

**Claimer: I do, however, own the plot and all OCs!**

Chapter 4

After the hosts had left, the fact that she was alone hit her hard. The emptiness that she had felt since she had gotten the call began to grow until she felt hallow inside. She wanted to cry again but she knew she wouldn't be able to, not after training herself for years to hold that emotion in. Haruhi decided to just go straight to bed because her energy was already spent from the long day but she knew that no amount of sleep would fix that.

She normally didn't sleep soundly at night because of dreams involving the accident and that night was no exception. At some point when she was between the nightmares and being fully awake, she thought she heard her dad come home but had decided to ignore him if he tried to wake her up. When morning came, Haruhi woke up with a minor headache and a light knocking on her bedroom door.

"Haruhi, are you awake yet? There's something I need to talk with you about…" her father slowly drifted off. She realized he didn't know that the doctor had called her to tell her the news. She had contacted the doctor every week since the accident for an update on Tai's condition. She had been surprised when he had called her a week earlier to let her know that something may happen and for her to wait for his call, which is why she had been hanging onto her phone like it was a lifeline.

After a moment she immediately pulled the covers tighter over her head, hoping her dad would give up and go away. He continued to knock for another five minutes until she thought she heard a quiet sigh.

"I need to head to work so we can talk later tonight. Don't be late for school okay? I'm sorry…" with that she heard his quiet footsteps and after a moment the front door opened and closed. She pushed down her guilt, refusing to let it over power her anger that she felt because he made the decision without talking to her first. Instead she let her original hollowness over take her as she pulled the covers off slightly to look at the clock to see that it was almost 7. If she didn't get up then she wouldn't make it to the train in time to get to school. She was contemplating just pulling the covers back over her head and skipping for once in her life when her phone made her jump. She would have ignored it if she hadn't caught sight of the caller ID. She shot her hand out from under the comforter before it could go to voice mail. She opened the phone and put it to her ears just as Kenji's voice came on.

"Morning Haruhi, how are you feeling?" she slowly sat up on her bed as she stretched her tightened muscles, knowing she very well couldn't sleep in and miss school, not if she wanted to avoid a search party.

"I'm fine. Did you manage to get the tickets?"

"Yes, our flight heads out tonight at 6. So I'll be by to get you around three." She grimaced slightly knowing she would have to ask to miss the club meeting and Kyouya would not be happy. However, she knew this was more important.

"I'll be waiting then. I need to get ready for school so I'll…"

"You know," he cut her off, "there is still time for me to buy Ranka-san a ticket. Have you told him about the trip yet?"

"No," she said a bit more loudly then she really meant to. "If he wants to go see Tai, then he can go by himself," she finished as her anger began to seethe again.

"Woah, okay, calm down," he said and she knew he was holding up a hand in a surrendering motion even though they were on the phone. "No more on Ranka-san, I get it. I'll see you later tonight." They said goodbye and ended the call. After a moment longer of arguing with herself, Haruhi finally forced herself out of bed.

""""""""""""""""""""""

As she walked into the school, she heard two voices calling her name to get her attention. She immediately recognized that the twins were walking towards her but she ignored them and ducked into the building. Rushing down the many hallways, she made it to her classroom just as the bell rang. Sitting down at her desk and preparing her notes, she saw the twins sit down on either side of her and give her a searching look just as the teacher called for attention.

The twins kept trying to get her to talk all through class and by the time lunch began, she could feel the tension radiating off them. They weren't happy. The bell rang for lunch and quietly she walked with the twins to the cafeteria. She would have stayed in the classroom to eat but she knew the twins would have dragged her with them anyway, especially because of how she had been treating them all day. Just as they came to the cafeteria's door, the two red heads halted and turned to face her with the same serious look gracing their faces.

"If you want to be left alone then just tell us" The older twin finally said.

"And don't try to convince us that you're actually fine," Kaoru continued. They were attempting to appear angry but their concern for her was more prominent so the scene they were putting on was somewhat comical. Haruhi would have laughed had she been in any other mood. However, instead she felt her anger returning to her, which was why she had decided not to talk to the other hosts because she didn't want to snap at them. Her eyes narrowed for a moment before she forced herself to take a deep breath and immediately she felt drained. She didn't want to argue with them so she decided to just answer honestly.

"I'm sorry guys; I just didn't get much sleep last night."

The two faces before her immediately softened. "Maybe you should go home after school then." They said at the same time and Haruhi realized they were giving her the chance she needed to skip the meeting; however, she made sure it didn't show on her face. She opened her mouth to argue about the club meeting when Hikaru beat her to it.

"One missed meeting won't cause that much damage," Hikaru winked, "and don't worry about what Kyouya will say…"

"He may be an evil overlord, but even he wouldn't make you stay," Kaoru finished his brother's sentence with a smile as he and Hikaru opened the doors for her so they could enter the already packed room. Haruhi immediately scanned the room and saw that the rest of the hosts were already seated at their normal table. Honey and Mori were sitting across from each other. Tamaki was sitting next to Hunny and Kyouya directly across from him next to Mori. As Haruhi watched them, she noticed they seemed to be in a serious discussion when a pair of grey eyes looked at her from behind a pair of lenses. The others, who had been listening intently to what he had been saying, followed his eyes when he stopped talking and soon all the hosts were staring at her with concern. She understood, especially by how she had acted yesterday but she still felt a vein throb. She was about to head over to the table when the twins turned back to her to start their normal argument whenever she joined them for lunch. They were pestering her like they did every day, trying to get her to agree to let them buy lunch for her and normally she would argue with them until they finally dropped it. However, this time she didn't have the energy to fight so she quietly agreed. She noticed that her headache from the morning was returning with greater force and she had to steel herself so she wouldn't wince in front of her friends. She noticed the twins giving her wary looks at her lack of fire before they quietly got in line. With a deep breathe she realized she still felt eyes watching her and slowly, with as genuine a smile as she could manage, she turned towards the rest of her friends and walked over towards the table.

"Hey guys," she said as she slowly sat down at the table next to Tamaki. She felt him shift slightly next to her and she felt her headache grow as everyone eyed her carefully.

"How are you doing Haruhi?" Kyouya asked, his voice detached as if he didn't really care. Haruhi looked across the table to glare at his bluntness. She was expecting to see his glaring glasses but instead she saw the grey eyes that he normally hid. His eyes were serious and held no glint of contempt like she would have expected. She felt her heated expression disappear and an emptiness return.

"I'm as good as I can be," She answered, shocking herself by how blank her own voice sounded to her ears. She quickly looked down, not wanting to see Kyouya's sympathy. The silence at the table grew until it finally became unbearable. Haruhi was about to look up when a tray of exquisite Italian food was placed in front of her, making her jump. She hadn't noticed that her hands had been shaking violently under the table so she clenched them together, digging her nails into her own skin to try to quell her own trembling. She felt herself regaining her control as she looked up to see Kaoru sit down next to Kyouya which meant that the warm body she felt on her once cold side was Hikaru.

"Haruhi should go home after school," Hikaru quickly said. Haruhi waited for the response she figured the other members would give.

"I agree." Haruhi's eyes widened at how readily Kyouya spoke up.

"Don't look so surprised, Haru-chan," Hunny's quiet voice came as he smiled sweetly.

"Don't force yourself to stay," Mori said simply. She met his steady gaze for a moment before smiling while also trying to keep any guilt from showing on her face. She felt bad that she wasn't telling them everything and she wasn't sure why. It's not like she needed to and Kyouya would know soon enough anyway. She looked down towards her food tray but couldn't bring herself to eat any of it. She knew that it would make her friends more nervous about her behavior, however, she simply couldn't.

Thankfully the rest of the day went by quickly but it wasn't until just before the final bell that she realized something had been off at lunch. The blonde who had been sitting next to her hadn't said a word the entire time.

After the bell, she said goodbye to the twins and hurriedly left the building to make the train back home. She walked up the stairs to her apartment and inside before collapsing onto her bed. She looked at her clock to see that she still had just under an hour before Kenji was supposed to arrive. She had already packed the night before and as she lay on her bed, she felt her eyelids become heavy due to nights of little sleep.

'''''''''''''''''''''''''''

"Haru…"

"Haru… Wa…"

"Haruhi, Wake up!" Haruhi hadn't dreamt like she normally did when she slept so she was shocked when the dream she thought she was having begun to shake her almost violently and her eyes snapped open. She stared into two blue eyes before groaning and slowly sitting up as Kenji stood up from his kneeling position on the floor.

"Still haven't been sleeping well?" She heard him ask. She rubbed her eyes a few times before turning her head to look at Kenji who had moved to lean against the closed door.

"I doubt you have either," she said which brought his old smirk to his face; the one that always seemed to annoy her.

"You know me to well," he drawled but she noticed that he was just trying to put on a strong front. His eyes seemed almost dull and she could clearly see the dark circles that she hadn't noticed before.

"How did you get in here anyway?" she asked which caused his smirk to grow into a full grin.

"Come on, I know where you and dad have always kept the spare key." With a sigh she stood up, making a mental note to change the place where they kept the key. She looked at the clock quickly and was shocked to see she had slept for over an hour.

"I figured you hadn't gotten much sleep so I didn't want to wake you," Kenji said quietly as he reached out and grabbed her packed bag, "plus! You were so cute to watch," he winked before silently leaving the room. Haruhi glowered at her friend's back as she closed the door to change out of her Ouran uniform. She knew he was just trying to lighten the tension but she still was annoyed by his old antics. She put on a pair of dark skinny jeans, a knee-length light pink halter dress, a matching pair of flats and slide on a long-sleeved old black cover. Before following him outside, she grabbed her wallet and passport that sat on her side table, smiling wryly at the ladder object as she remembered something Kyouya had asked her when she had first met them.

"_You can try to run away if you want to Haruhi but just so you know, my family employs a private police force of 100 officers. By the way, do you have a passport?"_

Their train ride to the airport was taken in silence which Haruhi was thankful for because it allowed her to shut down her mind. It wasn't until their plane was called for boarding that her phone vibrated in her pocket. She pulled it out and grimaced at the caller ID before pushing the power button and placing the phone in her carry-on as she walked to her window seat. _Sorry Guys…_

"""""""""""""""""""""

The sky had already turned dark as a limo pulled up in front of the Fujioka residence and 6 guys hurried out the door. The hosts were eyeing their king with varying looks of annoyance because Tamaki hadn't been able to sit still the entire ride. However, they all couldn't deny the fact that they were all worried because none of them had been able to get in contact with Haruhi since the twins saw her leave the school. Tamaki was the first one at the door and immediately began to knock loudly. Kyouya had just walked up behind him and was about to admonish his friend for his unnecessary behavior when the door was violently pulled open.

"Haruhi!" the voice on the other side questioned loudly and they came face to face with a frantic Ryoji. They were most surprised to realize he had been crying because his makeup was running down his tear-streaked face.

"She isn't here?" Tamaki asked, his eyes widening only to have a hand grab the front of his shirt and pull him forward until he was inches away from an angry face.

"Why are you here?" he snarled. Tamaki shrank back and tried to pull away but Ryoji had a firm hold on him and didn't seem to want to let go.

"We came to see how Haruhi was doing, did she never come home?" Kyouya asked, taking a step closer until he was standing next to the struggling blonde. Kyouya fought back a smile when Ryoji let go of his captive, causing the shocked Tamaki to fall to the ground.

"She left with Kenji…" he began sadly when Tamaki sprang up from the floor.

"What? My daughter went somewhere with that…" The twins began to snicker as Tamaki was promptly shut up after again being grabbed by the front of his shirt and tossed unceremoniously into the small apartment by the infuriated father. The rest of the hosts trailed in as their king sat dazed on the floor before sullenly following everyone to the Kotatsu.

"Now, how do you know she left with him?" Kyouya asked from his spot across from Ryoji who then reached into his pocket to pull out a slip of paper that he passed to Kaoru who sat to his left.

" 'Ranka-san, its Kenji. I probably should have let you know earlier so I apologize to have worried you. Haruhi is coming with me to Boston to see Tai. I know she was too angry to let you know herself so this is the best I can do. I swear to look after her, but I figured she needed this.'"

"She went to America?" The eldest twin asked, clearly flabbergasted. The room fell into silence, unsure of what to do next when the blonde stood up quickly.

"Then we follow her boys!" Tamaki said with a shout; the twins nodding and standing up shortly after him. A sigh rang out through the apartment but Kyouya still took his phone out and dialed a number, most likely ordering for a private jet to be readied for departure. They were standing up to leave, Tamaki basically about to open the front door to let himself out when a voice stopped him.

"I'm coming with you," Ryoji said quietly from the living room doorway. "I knew I should have talked with her first but I had to make the decision. I need to speak with her…"

"Of course." Tamaki said with a small smile which was gratefully returned by the uncertain father.

"We will send a car for you in about an hour," Kyouya said, having just gotten off the phone. Ryoji nodded at them as they let themselves out, all their minds on the one person that wasn't within reach.

""""""""""""""""""""""

The long plane ride had finally ended and they had landed at Logan airport. Haruhi was waiting at Terminal A for Kenji to grab their luggage. She began to, although she couldn't remember when, pace back and forth as her mind wondered to what she would find when she entered her brother's hospital room. Her mind was so far away that she jumped when a hand landed on her shoulder forcing her to stop.

"Will you relax?" Kenji asked, an eyebrow raised and eyes incredulous at her strange behavior. She slowly nodded and let herself trail slightly behind as they walked to their cab when a thought struck her.

"Are we staying with Michelle?" She asked, growing suddenly excited to see Kenji's aunt and her children since she hadn't seen them since she had last seen Tai.

"Michelle and the kids are vacationing," Kenji said and her excitement died immediately. "But," he stopped to turn and look at her with a smile, "she said we could use their place while we were here so we didn't have to stay at a hotel." She smiled back, glad that she would at least have something familiar to look forward too. After they got into the cab, Kenji spoke in perfect English to the driver and told him to take them to an apartment complex just a few blocks from Mass General. When they arrived, Kenji unlocked the front door and Haruhi immediately went to sit down on the beige couch, throwing her arm over her eyes as she heard Kenji moving around the small apartment.

She was trying to calm down her nerves, still upset from an earlier conversation that she had with the doctor as soon as the plane had landed. She had wanted to see if they could come in that night. It had been nearly 6 and the doctor had told her that her brother couldn't have visitors after 5 due to him being in the critical care unit and the situation they found themselves in.

She was lost in thought when she felt the couch sag slightly beside her, "the guest room is already set up," he said as she heard a click followed by a news broadcast coming from the TV. With a sigh she stood up, pausing long enough to hear what channel seven had to say about a possible snow storm before grabbing her bag. The living room and kitchen were open to each other before flowing into a small hallway. There were four doors in the hallway and she quickly walked to the back left door before opening it to find the spare room. She flicked on the light and her breathe caught at the familiarity. Inside was a simple queen size bed with the same old blue comforter. She dropped her bag on the bed before moving around the small room, running her hand along the small wooden desk that she remembered doing homework at years ago when her father and she had had to share that very same room. She sat down at the desk and began to look through the drawers until she came to the top and found a small black box that stalled her hand. She reached for it slowly and cradled it in her hand, not believing her eyes as the familiar velvet box fit snuggly into her palm. She felt a single tear fall down her cheek, happy for the first time in months. She quickly dropped the box into her pocket as Kenji called her out for dinner.


	5. Chapter 5

**A/N: Hey Readers! Sorry it's been sooo long but I had honestly fallen out of Ouran for a bit and with school work having picked up, I was never able to get back into the fandom. BUT! Having read the reviews and after getting back into writing (and being bed ridden for a bit…) I'm again loving where I have it going! Hope you enjoy the newest chapter and thanks to everyone who is still reading! The reviews really are what got me back into writing again so it really does help for an author to see them! **

**KingdomKuroGeass- Thanks for the most recent review! I felt like getting back to writing much faster after I read it (: Unfortunately the secret of the little black box will be staying a secret for some time! **

**But, can anyone guess what is it? hmm i wonder.. ) **

**Now on to the story!**

**Disclaimer: (oh yeah, this first….) Do I own OHSHC? Would I have come back on here if I did? Nope. I'd be busy writing a second season for the anime if I did! So not owned by me!**

**Claimer: Kenji, Tai, any other OCs, and the basic plot are mine though!**

Chapter 5

It was just after one the next day, light flurries falling down from the Boston sky but the air was not cold enough for the white flakes to even stick and coat the ground. The two friends had decided to forgo calling a taxi or taking a bus and decided to just walk to the hospital. It had been over two years since Haruhi had walked through the Boston streets and she couldn't help but feel nostalgic despite her ever growing nerves about seeing her brother. She couldn't stop herself from taking note of all the places she recalled; from her old friend's houses, to the grocery stores she would go to every Saturday morning to help Michelle restock. It was about halfway through their silent walk that the temperature slowly started to drop. Haruhi pulled her long black coat more tightly around her, now wishing she had taken Kenji's original offer to borrow his Aunt's heavier winter jacket.

"I told you to take it…" his disgruntled voice met her ears and she turned her head to give him an equally annoyed look.

"It wasn't that cold before," she countered.

"If you paid attention to the weather report…" he drawled and they continued on in this bantering way for a few more seconds before falling into companionable silence yet again. Haruhi couldn't fight the next shiver, however, as a chilling gust of wind came by. She felt an arm wrap around her shoulders and pull her into a warm side before looking up at Kenji who was smirking with obvious mirth in his eyes at her discomfort. She scowled up at him but was grateful for the added warmth all the same as she noticed he had removed his one arm from his coat sleeve and had pulled her to him so she could be draped under the coat.

"I've been wondering…" she trailed off to be met by silence which she took that her silent companion was telling her to continue her train of thought. "Well, what happened to everyone? Is the old gang still around?" She said, looking up as they stopped at another cross walk. She saw the light smile return to Kenji's face as he looked down at her. However, he only shrugged. She raised an eyebrow but didn't say anything more as they started across the street, a car suddenly honking for them to hurry across. When they made it across they turned the next corner and nearly knocked into the sudden crowed of people that milled the street which told Haruhi they were getting closer to the Hospital. Her mind wasn't able to stray to the thought for too long, though, as a deep voice broke her from her inner wandering.

"I wouldn't know. I only kept in touch with a few people and the rest I haven't heard from in, well, probably as long as you have," she felt more then saw him shrug this time as she was still looking forward to avoid walking into any more people. "I know Eliza, Sam, and Dan are still in town since they are only seniors in High school though. Maybe we can see if we can drop by their houses later in the week." He said and she could only nod in agreement, unable to speak at the mention of her old friends. She had found a small group of friends when she had first come to Boston after the accident. After having moved to the town almost permanently for the year, she had become a regular at the school and the group had expanded to include Kenji's older friends. He had already lived in America for a few years due to his Aunt being in town so Haruhi still felt gratitude to him for helping her resituate.

Hearing about his old group now, she wasn't surprised that they were no longer around since they always talked about how none of them had wanted to stay in Boston after graduation. The thought made her think about, surprisingly, the host club and the paths they would each take after they all graduated. The very thought made her even sadder. Kenji was the same after all. She saw him nearly every vacation but the fact still remained that he had moved back to America from Japan to live in a completely different state. However, now she felt foolish that she hadn't thought that her first few friends, who were the same age as her, would still be in town.

She came back out of her musings as they turned the next corner and her eyes trailed over the red-brick buildings that sat on both sides of the street; as if using them as a path to the large white building that loomed before them. The hospital was just down the street from where they now stood at the street corner and she couldn't help but freeze in place. She felt a light tug on her shoulders and slowly looked up into Kenji's darkened eyes to see him nod slightly, waiting for her to make a move. She breathed in deeply and began to walk again, slowly at first, before regaining the faster pace they had been walking at earlier.

They reached the front of the building within moments, jerking the door open as the larger snowflakes began to fall. Haruhi separated from Kenji, no longer needing his warmth in the suddenly stifling building. She could see him draw the coat more around himself and confused, realized the warmth she was feeling was from her ever growing nerves. She gritted her teeth in annoyance before leading the way towards the ward she knew her brother was in. After a few minutes of walking, they turned into a waiting room and slowly sat down. Only one other person was there, a black haired young woman with a glassy, faraway look in her gaze. Haruhi knew the look well as she had seen it on her own face for months after her brother's accident.

She shook her head of the memory and abruptly turned from the person. She turned in time to see the door to the ward open and a doctor to step out. His hazel eyes widened as they met Haruhi's but he quickly returned to business and walked quickly over to the other person in the room. He knelt down and whispered something to the distraught woman whose eyes seemed to collect tears as she came back to reality but slowly the doctor helped her up and into the ward. Haruhi waited another few moments before standing up and pacing. She could feel Kenji's gaze on her and she knew she was only making him more anxious with her behavior but at that point she couldn't care less. The door opened again and Haruhi spun quickly on her heels to see the doctor reenter.

"Doctor Colt," she said in greeting. She heard Kenji murmur the same thing behind her as the black haired doctor walked towards them. He gave a warm smile and Haruhi gratefully returned it best she could.

"Haruhi, good to see you again," he said kindly and Haruhi had to swallow the lump that formed from the swelling emotion. Not only was it from the prospect of seeing Tai, but because she was immediately reminded of how much she owed the man before her. Had it not been for him, the hospital would not have been able to keep her brother for as long as they had. She gave a bow of her head, despite knowing she wasn't in Japan anymore and heard the light chuckle of the doctor that he always gave when she gave such a formality.

"You wanted to see Tai," he cut to the chase and gestured to the door. "You know the way so if you need me I will be in my office," with that he gave one last smile, one she could tell had a bitter sadness to it and slowly he left the room. She saw Kenji walk to the door and put a hand on the handle before turning towards her with questioning eyes. She told herself to move forward, but physically her legs wouldn't let her and then she realized her mind wouldn't either. It would be one of the last times she would get to see him and it would have to be in his current state. An image from that day flashed behind her eyes and her head turned to the side, unable to look at her quiet friend.

"No, I can't…"

"Haruhi!" her head jerked forward to stare at Kenji in shock realizing she had spoken out loud. "Come on. You have to do this," He said softly, as if pleading while holding out the hand that was not on the handle towards her. Despite the worried look she saw in his eyes and the desperate desire to see her brother, for some reason, she felt her left leg take a step back. She shook her head.

"No, I can't," she said again.

"Haruhi, it'll be okay…" he said and with those words, she felt her hollowness, the emptiness she had felt since she had gotten on the plane, leave her body. Anger returned.

"Okay? You say it'll be okay? What is okay about this Kenji!" she shouted and seeing his shocked expression turns and for the second time that week she runs.

**A/N: So that was the newest chapter. No host club in this one sorry but the next one will be intense once they show up and I cannot wait to write it! I feel like I may be rushing the plot so if you agree or disagree let me know so I can tweak it a bit. Thanks everyone! Lightofthemoon12 signing out!**


	6. Chapter 6

**A/N: Hey Readers! Finally updating! So Kyouya, tell your secret police to back off! Sheesh... K so basically sorry its been so long. Orientation for college and just making sure I can even GO to college in the fall has kept me insanely busy. However! that is now in the past and done with (I hope...) and I am now on my way to going to UNE (: I'm hoping to get chapters moving a bit more now that its just summer. **

**SilvermistAnimeLover: Sorry! I wanted to get the hosts in this chapter first so no brother just yet :/ but i promise next chapter it will happen!**

**Now, without much more to say, let the chapter commence.**

**Disclaimer: I do not own Ouran Highschool Host Club in any shape or form**

**Claimer: Plot and Original Characters are, however, mine (: **

Chapter 6

Haruhi had walked for hours after she had finally stopped running. She knew she shouldn't have run but the prospect of seeing Tai after so long had made the decision for her; she wasn't ready. She shook her head and looked up from the side walk to figure out where she was again. She had begun doing it periodically every 10ish minutes so she wouldn't get too lost and thankfully it had been working for her. Course, having lived there for just over a year prior also helped her to know her way around.

She wasn't surprised that by the time she considered stopping and turning back, she had found herself somewhere near Boston Common. She shook her head at the irony since it was always where she used to go when she had been upset. Looking around, she noticed a few people were on the frog pond skating and a few couples were strolling along the walkways. She was a good half hour walk away from Kenji's place. With a sigh, knowing she didn't want to see Kenji yet, she turned and began to walk back.

She wasn't afraid of what he would say but merely she didn't feel ready to see anyone yet after her surge of emotion. She hadn't shown that much emotion since her mother's death and after years of keeping her composure and her emotion hidden, she felt drained and exhausted. She was just thankful that Kenji had seemed to understand her need to be alone and had not tried to follow her. _Unlike a couple of hosts who would have,_ she mused.

After another 10 minutes, she had become lost in her thoughts again when suddenly multiple things occurred at once. She heard someone begin to shout, followed by a car blaring its horn.

"Haruhi!" she registered in the back of her mind just as her feet left the ground and she braced for the pain. However, she wasn't hit by hard metal and instead a warm body was holding onto her as she fell across the pavement. Then the pain she had been expecting exploded as she felt her head hit the ground. She groaned as the pain came in a harsh wave through her body, however, she kept the gasp of pain logged in her throat until it vanished. She heard some people shouting but her ability to distinguish the voices was lost as the pain coursed through her body. After a few moments she felt the pain recede and slowly opened her right eye to allow it to adjust to the suddenly blinding light. Forcing her vision to focus, she could just make out the shock of blonde hair that framed the concerned face of Tamaki who was holding her upright. She opened her mouth to say something when he opened his mouth first.

"Haruhi!" he quickly shouted and she felt her ears pop at the loud noise. The sudden shout caused the pain to double and she couldn't stop the gasp that came this time. With his shout, her hearing seemed to have fixed itself and she could better discern the voices that were around.

"Haruhi! What's wrong?" Tamaki asked above her and she wanted to shout at him to stop shouting himself as it only made the pain in her head increase. She could now make out a small annoying noise but it took her a moment to realize that it was actually her whimpering in pain and quickly she bit down on her lip to silence herself.

"Shut up you idiot!" She heard Kyouya's low voice suddenly close by and thankfully he wasn't shouting. "Don't shout in her ear when she just hit her head." He snapped quietly and quickly as if in response to a question she had missed.

She slowly opened her eyes again and finally the pain decreased to an acceptable level. She looked up and saw Tamaki again almost immediately but then she noticed the twins, Hunny, Mori, and Kyouya standing just around them. She sat up slowly with Tamaki's aid only for her head to be lightly grasped in someone's hands. She looked up to meet Kyouya's gaze who was now kneeling in front of her.

"You don't appear to be bleeding," he started off quickly as his hand moved to the back of her head to double check. She sighed inwardly in relief at that but then returned her attention to Kyouya. She took a shark intake of breathe and the hold on her from Tamaki tightened.

"Haruhi? Are you hurt?" Tamaki asked in concern. At that moment she hadn't felt any pain but she figured it was easier to let him think she was then to tell the reason why she had reacted strangely. Kyouya was still holding her head and she could clearly see the concerned emotion in his eyes.

"You realize if we hadn't followed you when we did, we may have not made it in time?" Kyouya's voice said as simply as was possible for him, however, she knew he was more concerned than he was letting on. His hands immediately released her as two arms slide around her shoulders and she knew immediately it was the twins as she heard Tamaki's distinct voice yelling about 'those devious doppelgangers' since he was forced to fall backwards and release her when the twins took his place.

"Haru-chan?" Hunny's voice reached her ears and looking in his direction, she saw the sad look on his face. "Are you in pain?" he repeated the question.

"No, I'm fine Hunny-Sempai," she smiled but the expression he gave her showed he wasn't convinced. The fact was that she wasn't ok. She was forcing herself not to tremble at how close she had been to almost ending up like her brother. The thought hit her as she looked around herself and saw how the street was in an uproar. The car that must have almost hit her was still parked in the street but a set of police cars were now surrounding it, attempting to keep the crowd of people back who had stopped to watch the scene. She looked over at the car, a new black ford mustang, and caught the eye of the driver. The man had been talking with a police officer but he immediately stopped talking and began to almost visibly tremble as he broke eye contact with her and it only took her a moment to realize what it most likely meant; the hosts (Kyouya) had probably had their way with him first. She knew she had to get away from the hosts before she felt her nerves burn out and so slowly she began to push to her feet, the twin's arms dropping from her shoulders. She got halfway to standing before a wave of pain hit her again and her vision swam. By the time it returned to normal she realized she was no longer in the same kneeling position she had been in previously and instead she was high off the ground with a pair of strong arms under her legs and shoulders. She grimaced in pain before bringing her head up to see Onyx black eyes staring down at her.

"Don't argue," Mori said simply and she quickly snapped her mouth shut, a frown taking its place and a look of annoyance entering her eyes. She couldn't deny the fact that she was grateful for the help though. "You're very light," he said so suddenly and with a hint of an accusing tone that she couldn't help but become startled. She had expected someone to speak but not Mori.

"I haven't been very hungry," she answered quietly, testing the words in her mouth before turning her head into his chest so she wouldn't have to look directly at him or any of the others. It had taken her a few months at the least after her mother's death to get back into normal habits. However, since her brother's accident, she found herself falling back into the old habit of eating very little to the point where it just made her nauseous. It didn't happen often anymore, but since she had first gotten that ominous call from the doctor a few weeks prior, it began to happen more frequently.

The walk after that was taken in silence and Haruhi was beginning to feel uncomfortable in her position but soon found the air around her changing as they appeared to leave the cold outside and enter a warmer building.

They entered the hotel and after going through a few sets of doors Haruhi was promptly seated in a large plush chair in what she assumed was the main room of their large and very expensive suite.

Silence continued to reign throughout the room so she decided to look around herself at her surroundings. They were of course in an extravagant hotel room. A large dining- style area was set up on the opposite side with a long dining table and an extravagant chandelier while the area she was currently seated in was heavily furnished with expensive furniture. The hosts themselves were no longer dressed in their Ouran uniforms but instead wore more suitable outfits for the chilling weather outside. The silence was finally beginning to grate on her nerves and with an agitated sigh she looked up to meet the eyes of all the hosts.

"What?" she snapped, surprised by her own venom but decided not to back down. She could see the surprise on all their faces and slowly Tamaki's face clouded with anger. He walked over from the wall where he had previously been leaning against and came to kneel before her in the chair.

"You were almost hit by a car," he started and she could see the rage burning in his gaze but he was cut off when Kyouya decided to intervene.

"Haruhi," he called and slowly she removed her gaze from Tamaki's to look at the bespectacled boy. "Is there any reason why you were walking about by yourself?" he asked carefully.

"I was trying to clear my head"

"So you decided to space out before crossing a busy street," he deadpanned and she immediately felt her cheeks burn. She saw the car's hood in her mind as it came straight at her and the image finally stuck. Her eyes widened and she felt herself begin to shake despite having held in the tremors previously. She realized her anger had been keeping her fear that she had almost just died at bay and now that she could think clearly about it, nothing was stopping her emotions from conflicting. Her arms went around her stomach as the nausea returned and she could clearly feel hands holding her shoulders steady as she shook. She could hear voices whispering soothing words and after a bit of time she was able to breathe more easily. She took a steadying breathe before noting that she was ok again. Her body had stopped trembling and hesitantly the hands on her released her so she could sit up again. Tamaki was still kneeling before her, his hands dropping slowly to his sides. Kyouya was now kneeling beside him and Hikaru and Kaoru were sitting on the arms of the chair on either side of her, their hands dropping from her back as she sat up.

"I needed some air," she started after a thick pause, knowing they would want an answer.

"Why?" Kaoru asked immediately, standing up from the chair's arm so he could face her while Hikaru mimicked his actions.

"Kenji and I were at the Hospital to see Tai and…I just… I wasn't ready"

"You don't have much time you know" Hikaru states bluntly on her right and she turns her head in time to see him be elbowed in the ribs by his twin. She couldn't fight the glare that formed on her face, even as she saw Hikaru's face contort into horror at his own words and seemingly take a step back. "I didn't…" he stopped and looked away from her but the sadness she saw in Kaoru's gaze told her exactly what Hikaru was unwilling to convey. She shook her head and stood up before walking across the room to take a seat at the large table, her head automatically falling into her hands on the table's surface. After a few tense, silent seconds, she heard feet moving around followed by the pulling back of chairs as the others joined her at the table. Slowly she brought her head up. Tamaki was directly across from her, his face uncharacteristically blank as he stared back at her. The twins were on her left side, with Hikaru next to Tamaki and Kaoru next to her. She had a slight pang of shame for having gotten so angry at Hikaru for simply stating the truth. She then turned her head slightly to the other side, expecting to see Hunny. However, his small form, which she hadn't noticed before, was next to Tamaki with Kyouya next to Hunny. The tall Mori instead loomed to her right. He met her gaze as she looked over and his quiet words stopped her own.

"You haven't been sleeping." It was a statement, not a question and she quickly turned away from him. She always forgot how, despite being so distant, he could read her just as well as the others could if not better some times. The image she had seen in the mirror that morning, before they had gone to the hospital, appeared in her mind as Mori's words rang out in the silence. She hadn't thought her restless nights had been so obvious. Kenji knew of course but he was having the same problem as her so it was no surprise. However, thinking back to the image of herself, she hadn't realized how drawn back she looked or how dark her eyes had been.

Kyouya raised an eyebrow and she couldn't help but notice the slight signs of confusion on his face. If the situation had been different, she would have laughed at the unnatural expression. He opened his mouth but before he could speak her cell phone began to ring. With a disgruntled sigh she pulled the phone out, already knowing who it was. She mentally noted the more than 30 missed calls and texts before clicking the answer button and lifting the device to her ear. She was about to tell him to calm down but she never got the chance as she had to pull the phone quickly away from her ear.

"Haruhi! Where the hell have you been? I've been trying to reach you all day!" looking across the table she saw the guys narrow their eyes but she simply shook her head. She understood they were not happy with how angry Kenji sounded but because of how long she had known him, she could easily pick out the panic that was hidden under the rage. It was only a pretext.

"Kenji, relax. I'm fine. I'm with the host club."

"How?... What?" she smiled lightly at the confused expression she pictured he wore.

"They found me and brought me to their hotel."

"You mean they were following you..."

"That's kind of what they do..." she said, realizing that they really did and although she would have been annoyed by the fact when she first met them, she couldn't deny the fact that their efforts meant a lot to her. The idea also couldn't stop her from laughing, only to see confused looks on all the hosts' faces.

"I don't see how you find that to be a good thing…"

"I guess it's just an acquired taste," she said, unable to keep a teasing tone from her voice. She heard a slight chuckle from the other end and she felt her shoulders loosen up a bit as she knew his anger and fear was dissipating.

"Guess it doesn't matter. Just glad you're okay. Are you on your way back?" He asked.

"I'll be heading back in a few minutes," she responded and quietly they hung up but before she could even fully close her phone a fist was slammed onto the table. She jumped in shock and looked up to see Tamaki now standing, anger plain on his face. Everyone else was also looking at him in alarm.

"You are not to go back to him," he said through gritted teeth. She heard the command in his voice and she immediately stood up herself.

"I don't really think you have the right to demand that," she snapped with more venom then she had intended. However, just as quickly as her anger came it vanished because an image of the day at the beach comes to her mind as she sees him visibly trembling. "Look sempai, I appreciate all the concern, but Kenji is my best friend, you can't tell me what to do when I've known him longer then I've known any of you,"

"But as your father..."

"But you're not my father!" she almost screamed. "My real father is still in Japan instead of here with Tai!" she looked around the room, not wanting to look at the blonde host any longer when she noticed the others had uneasy expressions.

"Well actually..." Kyouya's calm voice came in and as her eyes moved over to the twins she saw them slightly fidget. She snapped her eyes back to Kyouya.

"You didn't..." she was forced to stop as a door was pushed open on the other side of the room. She waited with baited breathe, wanting to and yet not wanting to see the face that she figured was on the other side. The door stopped moving and seemed to move the other direction as if the person was debating whether to shut or fully open it. The door then finally opened and Ryoji stepped out into the room, the door lightly closing behind him as Haruhi watched him walk to the table. To her surprise he was not wearing any of his makeup or any of his usual attire. He came slowly towards the table and she couldn't stop her eyes from narrowing as he slowly pulled the chair out that was between Kyouya and Mori in order to sit down. After a tense moment he brought his head up and met her gaze.

"Haruhi please..." his dejected tone rang in her ears and she found herself standing up almost instantly, her next words spilling from her mouth.

"No! You decided and didn't even talk to me about it. He is my brother!" she yelled, ignoring the pain she felt as she watched her father flinch at her words. His head drooped and his eyes vanished behind his hair. She wanted his head to come back up, she wanted to see the sadness so she knew she wasn't alone. After a moment he did bring his head up but his features were hardened instead of sad.

"Haruhi, I had asked Doctor Colt not to tell you the truth," He sighed, "but I realize keeping you in the dark was wrong," he said slowly.

"What do you mean he couldn't tell me the truth? Tai still had brain activity, he still had a chance!"

"Haruhi listen to me!" his voice rose and Haruhi sat back in her seat in shock. Her father had never had such a harsh tone before. "Yes Tai had brain activity but there was an accident about 5 months ago." He stopped, she figured to gauge her reaction but she didn't pride herself for being able to stay calm for nothing. She kept her face blank even as she felt her eyes attempting to widen involuntarily. Her father continued after a moment but his tone didn't tell her whether she had succeeded. "His breathing device malfunctioned. They of course got it back on but… he was still off oxygen for a short period of time." He stopped talking again but this time Haruhi knew he wouldn't continue. He didn't need to. She was an honors student after all so she had already drawn up the conclusion he had been hinting at as he talked_. It was too late_.

Haruhi could feel tears coming and she quickly fought them off. She pictured herself running into her dad's arms, wanting that comfort she hadn't allowed herself in years. Instead she stood up abruptly and turned for the door, not wanting to look at her father's depressed face or guilty eyes. She understood his reasoning. Deep down she knew it was right not to keep that false hope that Tai would ever wake up, to keep him alive when he really wasn't. It was a point she herself had been agonizing over since the accident. The only reason they let it go on for so long was the excuse that they were busy and the generosity of the hospital to allow Tai to stay. They hadn't been able to do anything for her mother. There had been no hope then so they had built up the hope that Tai would pull through instead.

"Haruhi…" her father said slowly and she stopped halfway to the door.

"I'm going back to Michelle's place," she said without turning when suddenly twin sets of arms wound around her shoulders.

"We will walk you back then," Hikaru said in a voice that said for her not to argue. She raised an eyebrow but said nothing, knowing they would follow her anyway. She nodded and slowly they walked to the door. She was aware that everyone was staring holes into their backs and she couldn't stop the sigh that came as soon as the door was closed behind them. Suddenly the arms on her shoulders disappeared and a hand gently was placed under her chin to bring her head up. She opened her eyes to meet Kaoru's concerned gaze and she immediately knew what he wanted to ask.

"No, I'm not fine but I think I will be," she said honestly and after a moment he released his hold on her chin and fell beside her again so they could continue walking. As they left the hotel, she swore silently that it had started snowing again. She pulled her black coat closer around herself when suddenly an arm on her right went around her waist and an arm on her left snaked around her shoulders. She subconsciously tried to pull away from the twin's warmth when suddenly Kaoru, who was the one on the left, stopped walking and pulled them all to a halt. The arms around her disappeared and Kaoru's hands landed on her shoulders to force her to face him.

"Will you just lean on us sometimes?"

"You don't have to do everything on your own." She couldn't see Hikaru because he was behind her but the soft tone he used almost brought tears to her eyes again, an action she was really starting to get annoyed by. She closed her eyes so she didn't have to look into the younger twins eyes and instead just nodded before Kaoru let her turn forward again. There was a street lamp just a few feet in front of them and the falling snow was now easy to see despite the now darkened sky.

"Earlier…" she began to get their attention, "It was just like that time at the beach, wasn't it," she asked quietly, not wanting to break the comfortable silence but knowing the twins were already giving her searching looks as they stood on the sidewalk.

Silence greeted her until finally Hikaru's quiet voice answered. "We couldn't find you for the longest time…You really need to stop worrying Tono. He is going to have a heart attack one of these days."

"And the rest of you won't?" she asked, trying to use a teasing voice but somewhat failing. Kaoru looked at her with a small smile, making her know he appreciated the effort.

"Of course we would to, but Tono…" Kaoru trailed off for a moment.

"He cares for you more then you seem to realize," Hikaru spoke quickly and abruptly. Haruhi felt Kaoru jolt next to her and she saw him give his brother a disbelieving look. The wind began to start blowing at that moment and a shiver went up her spine. The twins, eyeing each other for a moment, replaced their arms on her and they started walking again.

"He cares because he sees me as his daughter," Haruhi finally said after a moment, not really sure why her saying it made her feel slightly sad.

"Tono is just as dense as you are sometimes," Hikaru said with a laugh and Haruhi gave him an annoyed look although she didn't really feel angry. The look Hikaru gave her in return showed her that he knew as well.

Then she felt them both stop walking at once and because she was between them she was forced to jerk to a halt. Next thing she knew two mouths moved close to her ears.

"He cares more than you think," they repeated, their breathe warm on her neck. This time she could tell that they had their signature mischievous grins on their faces even though they were so close to her she couldn't turn and actually see them. It took her a moment to realize why they had stopped her and it was because they were stopped in front of the apartment. She turned her head just in time to see the front door open and a relieved Kenji run out. Both Hikaru and Kaoru dropped their arms from her and stepped back before another set of arms took their place. Her arms went automatically around Kenji's as she hugged him back.

"You okay?" his words were nothing more than a whisper in her ear but she caught them nonetheless. Nodding quickly, knowing it was more than enough for him to understand, she pulled back from him to look up into his suddenly unreadable face. "Something else happen?" he asked quietly as his dark eyes stared into hers and she realized she couldn't look away. 6 other intense eyes appeared in her mind as the hosts' intense gazes tried to pierce her heart. She couldn't get away from any of them. She sighed as she felt the mask disappear, knowing it would be pointless to keep it up when he could read her so well.

"I'll explain inside," she said quietly and tried to pull away but found she couldn't move. She looked back up into Kenji's eyes and after a moment he sighed before dropping his arms and releasing her. She raised an eyebrow at him in question but he made no indication to explain himself so she turned back to the twins who she knew had been watching from behind.

"Thanks you guys," she said slowly. They both seemed to her like they wanted to say something but they were holding their tongues; something that left her speechless as she looked from one to the other. She was about to more forward towards them but a hand landed on her shoulder before she could even begin moving her feet.

"Let's head inside," she heard Kenji say and had she been looking up at him she would have seen the slight glare he was directing at the two redheads. Instead she gave a simple nod, smiled once more for the twins benefit, then turned and walked up to the apartment, Kenji close on her heels. They walk silently up to the apartment on the second floor. She didn't even notice when they finally got inside because her thoughts had instead been drifting over what the twins had said earlier during their walk. She had seen something in the king's eyes, something other than just his concern and anger. It was something that had concerned her since the incident at the school festival because as she had danced with the blonde haired King, she had seen that similar look. Walking into her room, she quickly pushed the thought aside, not wanting to think about it or how jumpy it made her.


End file.
